Battery steamer



Apr. 17, 1923.

Snom/hva flaw/y Wiz? H. P. s-rEvENs BATTERY STEAMER Filed Aug- 27. 1920 `-New `York city, in the county of New Patented Apr. 17,

nirsf srAr N g time? PATENT I' orrica."

HARRY r. sTvEns, or NEW Yoaiciv. Y.

`Biir'iriiiw STEAMEB.

appiication fried August 27, 1920. seriai No. 406,517.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that Lliiuir P. SiiivnNs, a citizen of the United States, residin at ork, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Battery Steamers; and l do hereby declare the fol,-

-lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilledin the art tojwhich it appertainsl to make and use the same.

This invention relatesto surface heaters,

f and more especially to those of ythat type in "which the heating agent is steam; andthe particular purpose for which the invention is designed is to heat andwsoften the composition which is used in storage batteries and the like tofseal their parts in place.

Vvlll/*hen such batteries need cleaning and re-` pair their parts must be taken out, andin order tolaccomplish this the sealing coinposition which is usually of pitch or the like lmust be softened or melted so that! the parts which vit covers can be withdrawn from the casing. lt is desirable to accomplish such softening of the sealingy composition without unduly heating the remaining parts,and the ,broad purpose of the present invention lis to produce a device whereby steam can be applied directlyto the top of the composition at "f1/temperature and for a time sufficient to soften it. y

One feature ofthe invention lies in the hood'for covering and closely embracing the casing containing the battery, and fo-rmation of the mouth of the hood whereby it is adapted to battery casings of various shapes and sizes. Another feature lies in the provision of openings for permitting the escape of' the water of condensation. n i

Details of Vseveral forms of this invention are set forth below and shown in the draw-r ings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section, showing the application of a rubber `hood to a storage battery.

within its jar J having a top T, and the several jars disposed within a boX or casing C and sealed therein by a composition such as pitch P which overlies all the covers or topplates T as seen in Figure l. lThis composition is herein called pitch, but whatever its nature it is ksusceptible to heat when it is desired to soften it to such an extent that the battery elements and jars can be removed as set forth above; and the present invention consists in a device for so treating .the

pitch. j

i Thenumeral 1 designates a pipe to which steam is to be supplied from a source not necessary to lshow and in quantities and at times under the manual control of the operator. This pipe by preference connects with sol anipple 2 disposed substantially at the cenl,

ter of a hood, thesame having a body which flares from the nipple to a skirt 4f.

which surrounds themouth of the hood and is shaped to approximate the contour of the batteryfcase C atthe upper end or mouth of the latter. It is sufficient for the purpose of this specification to assume that the case C is rectangular and of the ystandard or usual dimensions, and if so the skirt at the mouth of the hood will be a bandof relatively the same proportions but `of slightly smaller ydimensions' than the length and width of the mouth of the casing, the purpose being that when the skirt isto be engaged with the casing it `must be stretched a little at`its `mouth and slipped over the same. In order 'to permit such stretching,

the hood, or at least the skirt thereof, must bevfiexible and `elastic;kand this is Vaccomplished by making the hood shown in Fi giire l of sheet nrubber or a composition. containing sufficient rubber to permit it vto be elastic.` The band constituting the skirt is herein shown as provided with projections or enlargements at intervals, such as knobs 5 attachedy to or preferably moulded or otherwise made as part of the skirt itself,

and when'tlie latter is slipped over the mouth of the casing C these knobs touch'the casing as seen at the left of Figure l, while the spaces 6 between the knobs provide openings for the escape of the water of condensation. The latter forms on the inside of the body of the hood vand across the top of the pitch, and will run ou't through the open-` ings 6, or if it does not run outI freely the battery may be tilted to assist.

lli)

In the construction shown in Figure 2, the hood is iexible, but fabricated from a non-elastic material, its body 13 being made vrather full so as to provide folds l2 radiat- .mouth of the casing C, as `will be possible Where the hood is to be applied to battery casings of standard size. The material of the body is not essential, but inthis case as kWell as in all cases the body itself m-ay be porous or may be providedn'ith tine perforations'to allow the escape of excess steam, and if this porosity were suliicient it would of course permit the escape of the Water of condensation. .'vl'ovverer,y l preter to form youtlet openingsQG in the skirt 24;, which may be in the shape of holes or slots so disposed'that the batterycase (l does not entirely close them when the hood is placed varound it, and these openings may be su'liilcient in size and number to permit the escape of both the Water and the surplus steam.

The description and illustration of these embodiments of the in`\f'ention are sullicient to show that it may take a variety of forms. The important characteristics areset forth in the claims below, and l reserve the Widest latitude as to the details of construction and the uses to which the invention is put.

`While I refer to the active agent herein as steam, it is obvious that any fluid could be employed Whose temperature is suthcient to perform the Work desired. It may be that liquids or gases shall be combined With the steam or used as the agent, which possess characteristics especially useful in the melting or otherwise softening of the pitch, and this apparatus could handle such fluid agent and permit the escape ot the surplus. Therefore the Word steam herein should not be construed as limiting the scope` of the invention.

lVhat is claimed as new is:

l. The herein described battery steamincomprising a hood having a steam inlet opening, and a mouth adapted to .tit around the battery case, the hood having openings for the outlet of Water of condensation.

2. rlhe 'herein described battery steamer comprising a hood having a central steam inlet opening, a body flaring therefrom to a mouth, and a skirt at the mouth adapted to surround the battery case, the skirt having outlet openings.

3. The herein described battery steamer comprising hood having a central nipple adapted to be connected with a steam supply pipe, a body daring from said nipple to the mouth of the hood, a skirt around said ymouth having outlet openings, and means for contracting the skirt around the battery c* se.

il. rThe herein described battery steamer comprising a hood flaring from a steam inlet. opening to a mouth, and having a contractile skirt around said mouth.

5. The herein described battery steamer comprising a hood flaring from a steain inlet opening to a mouth, and having a: contractile skirt around said mouth provided ivith outlet openings.

G. The herein described steamer comprising a hood of porous material having a steam inlet opening at one'endand a inout-li at the other end, and a skirt aroundl said mouth. i I

7. The herein described steamerv comprising` a hood of porous material having alsteam inlet opening at one end and a mouth at the other yend, and a skirt around said mouth having Water outlet openings.

8. The herein described steamer comprising hood of porous fabrick having a steam inlet opening,la body `flaring therefrom to its edge and formed in overlappinglfblds, and means for contracting said yedge around the article being steamed and leaving ,outlet openings between the folds. i

9. A hood for steaming articles, the same composed of fabric having a steam inlet, a body flaring therefrom, a skirt at the edge of the body'and provided with a bead,`and a contractile element Within the bead, the body and skirt being formed in overlapping foldsl whereby they are adaptableto the size and shape of said article. n yf In testimony whereof, I; aliizx my signature, in the presence of 'tivo'witnessesf HARRY P. STEVENS. 'Vitnesses: i g

lVIN'rHnor S. HoRroN, Mormon E. WEBER. 

